Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity
From Transformers Wiki
- Main
- G1 cartoon
- Toys & Merchandise
Laserbeak. The annoying evil bird spy from your favorite 1980s cartoon.
Contents |
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Chris Latta (English), Michael Bell (English, "Transport to Oblivion" only), Roberto Alexander (Latin American, "Divide and Conquer")
Laserbeak was the first of the cassette Transformers. Secret Files of Teletraan II Prior to his arrival on Earth, Laserbeak had less of an avian shape, resembling instead a stylized jet with an ovoid silhouette and a hooked nosecone. He still transformed into a cassette, which is kind of strange when you consider his "carrier" transformed into a "sensor lamp" and not necessarily any device that played cassettes. But anyway, this Laserbeak often carried out spy missions, able to sneak into places the larger Soundwave could not manage, including Iacon, the Autobots' headquarters. There, Laserbeak learned of the Autobot mission to seek out new sources of energy away from Cybertron, which prompted a Decepticon interception mission in turn. This led to the whole lot of these spacefaring Transformers crashlanding on Earth and taking a four million-year dirtnap in the heart of a volcano.
In the year 1984, the Transformers were awakened by volcanic activity, and Laserbeak was reformatted with terrestrial aesthetics in both robot and altmode. His altmode was an audiocassette, while his robot mode was that of a vulture. His missions, though, were largely unchanged, and he continued to serve as a spy.
Laserbeak was the first Decepticon to tangle with Autobots on Earth when he was dispatched by Soundwave and Megatron to chase down two snooping Autobot spies, Hound and Cliffjumper. The Autobots tried to scurry away, splitting up so that Laserbeak couldn't follow both of them. He had the last laugh (or squawk) on them, as he launched one of his laser cannons to follow Cliffjumper remotely while he continued to hound Hound, at least until Cliffjumper gas-bombed the drone. Laserbeak fared better than his cannon, and managed to blast the Autobot snoop off the road. Continuing with his scouting missions, Laserbeak uncovered the oil refinery which served as the Decepticons' first major strike against Earth, and their first battle with the Autobots on our planet.
Floating above the main battle, Laserbeak saw a safe chance to be useful, and flew between Megatron and Prime, pecking at Optimus's face long enough for Laserbeak's glorious leader to take to the skies. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 When the Autobots attacked the Decepticons' new space cruiser before it could depart, Laserbeak was ejected for warfare (for a change) along with his fellow Cassettes. Being the coward that he is, though, Laserbeak managed to be conspicuously absent throughout the battle, besides a single strafing run from the safety of the air. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
Once the Decepticons dug their space cruiser out of the briny deep, they resumed their attacks on a nearby solar power station. While the others engaged the larger Autobots, Laserbeak kept to squawking around Bumblebee's head. Later, Laserbeak spied on the Autobots to ensure they took the bait for a trap Megatron had set for them. He tried to help in the cave trap later on, but Ratchet trapped him instead inside a tiny net. Transport to Oblivion After Megatron was accidentally sent to Cybertron following an early space bridge test, Laserbeak and Rumble were present to greet Megatron on his return. Laserbeak perched on Megatron's arm, signifying Megatron's resumption of command of the Earthbound Decepticons. Once the Decepticons set their sights on the antimatter formula, Laserbeak attempted to steal it from Chip Chase and Bumblebee, but to no avail. Roll for It
After Starscream's strike team blasted Optimus Prime something fierce, Megatron assigned Laserbeak to infiltrate the Ark and ascertain the Autobot leader's true condition. For once, Laserbeak demonstrated his cowardice in Megatron's presence, but reluctantly went forth on his mission. Perhaps looking to prove himself after showing his yellow streak, Laserbeak took some extreme risks. First, he transformed into cassette mode and landed right on the powerhouse Brawn's shoulder to enter the Autobot base. Then, at Megatron's prodding, he flew down in full sight of the entire Autobot team and fired laser beams straight into Prime's exposed chest cavity. This exacerbated the damage and made the Autobot mission to find a replacement cosmitron for Prime of great priority. Divide and Conquer
On another scouting mission in the Arctic Circle, Laserbeak alerted Megatron to Starscream's bumbling execution of some Autobot prisoners using a weird Morse Code signal. Fire in the Sky Later, he joined Soundwave and Reflector in gathering information on the Great Falls. S.O.S. Dinobots
When the Decepticons were on a mission in South America, they were temporarily interrupted by an attack from Brawn and Windcharger. Windcharger soon realized the duo were outclassed fighting so many Decepticons at once, and directed Brawn to pull back. Well, bless his cowardly tin-plated heart, Laserbeak waited until after Windcharger sounded the retreat to get involved, showing great "courage" as he shot the Autobots in the back as they were driving away. Still, never let it be said that Laserbeak doesn't have his uses. When Brawn later returned and stole Megatron's fusion cannon, blasting the Decepticon leader with his own weapon, it was Laserbeak who flew in to retrieve the cannon for his master. Of course, he naturally flew in from behind Brawn for maximum safety, but really, who could blame him? Fire on the Mountain
One afternoon, while the Seekers engaged in yet another grab for energy, Soundwave and the Cassettes carried out Operation: Guinea Pig at the Ark. As his partners Rumble and Ravage created a distraction for the present Autobots, Laserbeak swooped in and carried off one of their human comrades, Sparkplug Witwicky. Laserbeak delivered the human to Megatron and Doctor Arkeville for testing of their new hypno-chip. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 After a successful test, Laserbeak flew out to collect more potential slaves for the Decepticons. He also took advantage of a well-placed earthquake to kidnap Spike Witwicky as well, while Bumblebee was dangling over a crevace. Unfortunately for the beryllium buzzard, Bluestreak was on the scene. His sharpshooting ability blasted Spike right out of Laserbeak's clutches, and drove off the Decepticon spy. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 After the plot to change Cybertron's orbit failed, Laserbeak reported to Megatron about the treachery of Starscream and Doctor Arkeville. Seeking out the traitors, Megatron and the Decepticons ran afoul of the Autobots along the way. To deter pursuit, Megatron led the Autobot cars into a valley of quicksand, hoping they would sink out of his way forever. He left Laserbeak behind to monitor their demise. When Ironhide started to get his hand free, Laserbeak tried to divebomb the Autobot, only to be blasted by Mirage's rocket launcher. Stunned, the Decepticon reverted to his cassette mode, and was captured by Jazz. Once the Autobots got free, Jazz used his own audio system to replay Laserbeak's findings, alerting the Autobots to the Decepticons' destination at Arkeville's secret lab. Countdown to Extinction
On a routine scouting mission, Laserbeak uncovered information about giant robotic insects in Bali, and relayed the info to Megatron. A Plague of Insecticons When Megatron arranged a bout of single combat between himself and Optimus Prime, Soundwave ejected Laserbeak to watch the festivities along with the rest of the two armies. Heavy Metal War
Proving once again that he spends more time at the Ark than with the Decepticons, Laserbeak happened to be on the scene to learn Spike Witwicky was mentally unstable and possessing the powerful "spare" Autobot called Autobot X. Autobot Spike On his next mission, Laserbeak attacked a group of innocent gold prospectors. After he had his fun, though, Soundwave put him back in his cage for a while. He popped out again later on to take potshots at his favorite weak target, Bumblebee. Changing Gears When the Decepticons moved their operations to New York City, Laserbeak was put on Autobot patrol, and alerted Megatron to their enemies' rendez-vous in Central Park. He was also joined by his flying buddy, Buzzsaw, for the first time in this battle. City of Steel In an attack on the Ark, Laserbeak and the Decepticons were charged with distracting the Autobots while Megatron and Starscream snuck inside to sabotage the Autobots' equipment. Laserbeak bit off more than he could handle with Prowl, though, and ended up being lassoed to the Autobot's rifle. It was a stand-off as Laserbeak fired at Prowl from the air while Prowl tried to drag him to the ground, until Megatron sounded the retreat. Laserbeak cut the wire with his blasts and took off as fast as his little wings could carry him. Attack of the Autobots
Laserbeak's next patrol duty was around the desert laboratory where Megatron was testing his stolen electro-cells. He alerted Soundwave the moment he sighted Autobot intruders, then hid inside his cozy chest cavity. Traitor When the human girl named Carly attempted to raid Decepticon headquarters on her own, Soundwave sent Laserbeak up to the surface to capture her. He succeeded, proving once again that he is occasionally strong enough to defeat a single human. He did, however, fail to recapture the Immobilizer for the Decepticons soon thereafter. The Immobilizer Returning to his spying duties, Laserbeak learned of Spike and Chip's plan for an Autobot road rally for charity. The Autobot Run
Laserbeak and Buzzsaw discovered the city of Sub-Atlantica on the bottom of the ocean floor, which led to an uneasy alliance between the Sub-Atlanticans and the Decepticons, and the subsequent attack of both parties on Washington, D.C. In D.C., Laserbeak popped out of Soundwave and was almost immediately shot down by Hound. By the time he was back in the air, the Dinobots had broken through the Decepticon defenses and Swoop took out Laserbeak and Buzzsaw with missiles moments after arriving at the battle. Some days it just doesn't pay to come out of the tapedeck. Atlantis, Arise!
In order to gain control over the super-computer TORQ III, Laserbeak was joined by Megatron and Soundwave in his infiltration of the defense compound where the computer was housed. Laser blasting their way to the core, Megatron was able to reprogram the computer to serve only him. Using TORQ to guide them, Megatron arranged for countless oil tankers to converge on Decepticon headquarters. An Autobot scouting party attempting to thwart his plans at the site, but Laserbeak swiped Spike Witwicky in the middle of battle and forced the Autobots to lay down their arms. Luckily, another contingent of Autobots confronted TORQ directly, deactivating the computer, and made their way to Megatron's refinery, freeing their friends. Day of the Machines At the unveiling of Doctor Fujiyama's robot ninja, Nightbird, Laserbeak stormed the ceremony with Rumble and Frenzy, causing considerable chaos. Enter the Nightbird
Despite his well-documented cowardice, Laserbeak is sometimes surprisingly effective in combat. Immediately after Optimus Prime single-handedly disarmed Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp at once in battle, Laserbeak swooped out of the sky and managed to incapacitate Prime just as easily with a hail of laser beams. At Megatron's direction, however, he did not finish the job. Instead, Laserbeak used his recording equipment to create a fully-body holographic scan of the Autobot leader, allowing Megatron to manufacture a perfect duplicate of Optimus Prime for his plans. Later on, he also easily overpowered Starscream and unceremoniously dragged him back to Megatron in his talons. Clearly, Laserbeak had been eating some top notch birdfeed that week. A Prime Problem
Laserbeak observed the Autobots observing the Constructicons deep core drilling project. He alerted Megatron to the spies, and the Decepticons rose to the surface to drive off the snoops. The Core When the Decepticons assaulted the Nova Power Plant, Soundwave released Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to torment the Autobots. Instead, Inferno and Jazz were overjoyed at being part of an "overgrown turkey shoot", and they blasted Laserbeak out of the sky. Laserbeak was also briefly taken over by Bombshell's cerebro-shells when the Insecticons were at odds with Megatron, but soon recovered. The Insecticon Syndrome
Stationed outside the Autobot base, Soundwave learned of the prehistoric Dinobot Island and its potential for rich sources of energy. At Megatron's behest, he dispatched Laserbeak to follow Powerglide and the Dinobots to the island and observe. Dinobot Island, Part 1 One time, he got "over-energized" and crashed beak-first into a sand dune. Did a nice loop-the-loop, though. Microbots
Megatron's next plan involved some masterful manipulation of the power-hungry human named Shawn Berger. Laserbeak snuck himself into Burger's office in cassette mode, then retrieved the human for a friendly chat with Megatron on a nearby hillside. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 When the Decepticons' plan to turn the people of Earth against the Autobots succeeded, they briefly acted as "friends of the Earth" for Megatron's amusement. Laserbeak and the cassettes went to a local teen dance with Soundwave to mingle with the fleshlings. One of the kids asked if "Laserbeak wanna cracker". Never has a giant, speechless robot bird conveyed so much raw hatred with a single look. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
When the Decepticons got involved in a massive scheme with the Insecticons, the Autobots attempted to acquire some robotic insecticide to use against the enemy. Laserbeak reported their search back to Megatron, who became interested in acquiring the insecticide himself, in case the Insecticons ever proved troublesome. Quest for Survival After receiving a distress signal from Deceptitran, the Decepticons arrived to help stop the revolt of the Tlalakans. Laserbeak performed some reconnaissance, and uncovered the Autobot allies of the Tlalakans. He also located the secret city of the Tlalakans after a raiding party hit Deceptitran's temple. Sea Change
Laserbeak's keen observational skills failed him when the Autobots disguised themselves as Stunticons in order to get close to Megatron and his latest scheme. His sensors were unable to penetrate the camouflage paint they used to hide their true identities. Masquerade After Megatron infected the Autobots with the cosmic rust virus, Laserbeak infiltrated the Ark to bring back visuals of their enemies' suffering. Cosmic Rust When Starscream finally mouthed off one time too many, Megatron finally kicked him out of the house. Soundwave sent Laserbeak to unceremoniously drop Starscream on an island near Guadalcanal. Starscream's Brigade
One of Laserbeak's greatest claims to fame was that he was partly responsible for the Battle of Autobot City in 2005. By that point, the Decepticons had succeeded in conquering Cybertron, but the Autobots retained two of its moons and a large force on Autobot City. Laserbeak was dispatched to spy on Moonbase One, where he overheard Optimus Prime order a supply ship to acquire energon for an upcoming assault. Laserbeak took the information back to Megatron, who hijacked the shuttle and used it to attack Autobot City. The battle ultimately resulted in the fatal wounding of Megatron, who was cast adrift in space on the Decepticons' return trip to Cybertron; when the Decepticons began arguing among themselves over who should become the next leader, Soundwave ejected Laserbeak and his other cassettes to fight for his honor. The Transformers: The Movie
Later in 2005, during the Decepticons' attempt to prevent a replacement transforming cog to the Autobot city of Metroplex, Laserbeak was deployed alongside Thrust from within the Decepticons' own city-bot, Trypticon, to investigate the crash site of the cog's courier, Sky Lynx. They discovered that Sky Lynx and his passengers had survived, and Laserbeak swooped in to take out the cog's carrier Blurr, only to be foiled by a bit of lateral passing. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
In 2006, when Motormaster and Swindle threatened to mutiny over the continued insane leadership of Galvatron, Laserbeak sided with the would-be rebels. Forced into action by their threats, Cyclonus sought psychiatric aid for Galvatron on Torkulon. The therapy did nothing to improve Galvatron's demeanour, but nevertheless, the mutiny never happened. Webworld
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Laserbeak was one of the Decepticons who attacked New York City early in their conflict with the Autobots on Earth. Broadcasting on TV! Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
Later, Laserbeak accompanied Soundwave when he spied on the Autobots, and discovered they were having a race across a rocky canyon. Laserbeak helped Soundwave ambush the Autobots, but was taken out by Jazz for his trouble. Anime Theater: Sic 'em, Hound!
Scramble City
When the Decepticons detected unusual energy readings, Megatron had Soundwave dispatch his Cassettes to report on the situation. Ravage, Laserbeak, and Ratbat found the Autobots' Scramble City construction project, but were spotted by Blaster. Ravage and Laserbeak distracted Steeljaw and Ramhorn while Ratbat infiltrated further into the Autobot base. Scramble City: Mobilization
Full Throttle Scramble Power!
When the Decepticons wreaked havoc across the Earth with their new Omega Wave Cannon , Laserbeak was among the Decepticons out and about gathering up energy the devastation had created.Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Battle of the Star Gate
Laserbeak transmitted to Soundwave footage of Optimus Prime testing out the human/Autobot newest joint invention, the C-X. Divided Views
Controverse
At the trial of Primacron, Laserbeak and the Decepticons crashed the proceedings after the verdict was rendered. Unfortunately, Primacron broke free and used a whistle to take control of all the Primitives in range, including Laserbeak, Ravage, the Autobot Stripes, and the Sharkticons. Controverse
The Headmasters cartoon
- Voice actor: Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese), Roberto Alexander (Latin American)
In the year 2011, when Hot Rod was searching the Earth for the missing Matrix of Leadership, Soundwave ambushed him at the North Pole and deployed Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to draw his fire while he attempted to shoot the Autobot in the back. Blaster and his cassettes intervened, and in the ensuing battle, Soundwave and Blaster destroyed each other. Laserbeak swooped in to recover Soundwave's head, while the other airborne cassettes recovered as many of his pieces as they could, taking them back to Chaar. The Mystery of Planet Master
The Decepticon Headmaster leader Scorponok used the technology of planet Master to restore Soundwave to life as Soundblaster; Laserbeak and all the other cassettes watched over the reconstruction process, and cheered at their master's revival. Soundblaster was immediately put to work remote-controlling the magnetic Madmachine, and when Blaster—now rebuilt as Twincast—arrived to try and stop him, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ratbat attempted to fend him off. Twincast sent out his own cassettes to keep them busy as he successfully saw his mission through. The Great Cassette Operation
Laserbeak later spied on the Autobot base on Athenia, observing as the Autobots Headmasters headed off to Earth to deal with an erupting volcano. He and Soundblaster presented this information to Scorponok, who considered it all part of his plan. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts Soundblaster's standing in the intelligence game proceeded to slip a bit, however, as the new recruit Counterpunch suddenly started providing enemy intel that neither Laserbeak nor any of Soundblaster's cassettes could dig up a trace of. Suitably miffed at the whole affair, Laserbeak and Ravage spied on a meeting between Scorponok and Counterpunch, and went to kick up a fuss with Soundblaster about the matter. Laserbeak advocated getting straight to work trying to put the newbie in his place by upstaging him, and the team all headed to Earth to try to dig up some new info. Return of the Immortal Emperor
Laserbeak and the other cassettes later patrolled the area around the Decepticon base on Master, alongside a few Decepticon Targetmaster partners. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons
Legends comic
In 2021, Laserbeak came with Soundblaster when the Decepticons traveled to the Legends World and allied with Tera-Kura Co. in order to get new bodies. Acquiring a new smart device body, he was deployed to spy on the Autobots and Axalon Trading Company as they worked on their own transtector project, then brought the data back to Tera-Kura where Tarantulas used it to build a body for Skullcruncher. Bonus Edition Vol. 22 He also a discovered a secret entrance that allowed Weirdwolf to infiltrate the Battleship Maximus. Bonus Edition Vol. 31 Laserbeak was deployed by Soundwave during a battle with Devil Z and helped Rewind distract the entity while Ravage freed Megatron from his control. Bonus Edition Vol. 36
When Soundwave left the Decepticons to pursue his own goals, Laserbeak secretly remained at Tera-Kura to loyally watch over Megatron, intervening when Apeface attempted to overthrow him. Laserbeak used his new tank mode to whisk Megatron away to the city, where he helped defeat Apeface by ensnaring him with his headphone cables, connecting him to the Galvatron transtector and short-circuiting it with an energy blast. He then remained with Megatron to keep an eye on Apeface. Bonus Edition Vol. 38 Laserbeak later spied on the Scorponok loyalists secretly reconstructing Trypticon and delivered his footage to Megatron. Decepticon Civil War Laserbeak remained with Megatron after he became the city's mayor, being by his side during an invasion of Kickback clones. Bonus Edition Vol. 47 When the Concurrence took over Tera-Kura Co., Laserbeak spied on them and reported their method of brainwashing Beast Megatron back to Soundwave. Bonus Edition Vol. 63 He was also present during the battle with Majin Zarak. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One
Generations Selects Special Comic
In 2050, the Decepticons supported the rebellion of the Selectors against their human masters. The Dinobots supported the humans, and Laserbeak was damaged fighting against Grimlock. Volcanicus comic 2
TV Magazine comic continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic
In Japan, Soundwave and his Cassettes made an attack on the lone Autobot scout, Bumblebee. Bumblebee dodged their first attack, and so Laserbeak and his partners went chasing after him. Bumblebee circled back, however, damaging Soundwave's chest compartment so the Cassettes couldn't hide. Laserbeak got caught trying to re-enter his boss, and Cliffjumper ripped out his magnetic tape instead. Harsh. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2
The Headmasters comic
After Soundblaster crash-landed following his encounter with Chromedome's "Master Chrome Hurricane-Throw to the End of Hell" attack, Laserbeak and the other animal cassettes (minus Slugfest and Overkill) stood stoicly over his groggy form while Rumble and Frenzy panicked at the approach of Sixshot. The Headmasters #8
Transformers Legends anthology
Laserbeak and Ravage spied on Starscream after the Seeker's latest falling out with Megatron, and watched Starscream fall off a mountain. After reporting back to Soundwave, they spied some more and got footage of Starscream acting chummy with the Autobots. It was only after he spotted Laserbeak, that the amnesiac Starscream finally regained his memory. Redemption Center
Wings Universe
Laserbeak was the first Recordicon and was altered from a normal Cryo-Condor to a full Transformer capable of changing into a standard Datatrax wafer. Menagerie #1
Ask Vector Prime
In the year 2005, Laserbeak was spying on the Autobots on Moonbase One. Abruptly, the universe blipped, thanks to a pair of mischief-makers, and Laserbeak's role in the war was overwritten by Snoop. Echoes and Fragments
Deviations
In a universe where Optimus Prime killed Megatron during the Battle of Autobot City, Laserbeak retreated alongside Soundwave back to the safety of Astrotrain. Deviations
